I cannot believe it is already the end of the year, and not only that but the start of a new decade!  2019 flew by, and brought so many ups and downs, new products, insights regarding my state of wellbeing, passion projects, and more...  And today I will be sharing some of my top moments of the year before jumping into some wishes I have for 2020!

2019 Successes:

• I submitted my PhD and survived the viva!
  While I do have corrections to make, they are pretty straightforward and I did much better than expected.  I mean, seeing as I had basically zero supervision for my project, it went well and I got some positive feedback.  Now just to finish the requested changes, resubmit, PASS, and it will all be finished -- yay!
• I published nearly 100 posts on The ecoLogical!
  That's a whole lot of reviews, FAQs, roundups, guides, and information, and I am so proud that I managed to remain consistent throughout 2019 despite all the pressures surrounding family, PhD work, and general life.  What was your favourite post of 2019??
• I continued to build some amazing bonds with brand founders, bloggers, and all of you lovelies!
  Yes, I consider that a success!  I'm not super social IRL, not because I don't like to be but because meeting new people (and sometimes even meeting up with long term pals) causes me such anxiety.  But I'm super pleased that I have gotten to chat with so many wonderful people online thanks to my blog and associated social media channels.  Kind hearted spirits such as Lisa from Inner Senses, Yelena from Lena Wild, Viola from Lani, Emma from The Natural Beauty Box, Sarah from Love Absolute, Petra of Late Skin Party, Roberta of Beauty.Ro, and many many many more!
• I am a judge for 2020's BSL Awards!
  I had such a brilliant time judging during last year's awards, so I was thrilled to be asked back.  And this round is proving just as invigorating as 2019's, if not more.  I cannot wait for results day, and to share some of my top picks from all the products I got to test!
• We got engaged!
  Five years together, and we are now waist deep in wedding planning.  It is coming together nicely, and we (*ahem* I) am trying our best to keep things as eco friendly as possible.  I'm planning on finding a second hand dress, we want living plants as centerpieces so they can be planted afterwards and give nourishment and safety to wildlife, and we have already settled on veggie and vegan options for the food!

New Year's Intentions:

Like I mentioned last year, I think making 'resolutions' is a recipe for disaster.  It puts so many expectations on you and adds so much pressure to something that should be positive for your life.  A resolution is something concrete.  Something that 'fails' as soon as you slip up.  An intention is gradual and can be a transition into a long term change, and in my opinion these are goals that end up being more achievable.

So what are my intentions for 2020?

• Continue building content!
  I aim to post on Mondays and Thursdays as usual throughout the year, and I will even branch out to cover more aspects of eco and ethical living.  I'm hoping to share some of my vegan friendly home cooking recipes, wedding alternatives, picks for affordable sustainable fashion, and staples for the home.  And of course I will continue to write about plastic free swaps, clean beauty, and natural wellbeing -- you all know you can always rely on me for that!
• Taking those next steps...
  At the moment, I cannot do too much in terms of turning The ecoLogical into a 'business' but I am looking forward to taking those next steps once my visa has changed over!  This will open up so many new opportunities for me, and hopefully for all of you lovelies as well as it means I can offer more giveaways, discounts, and content.
• Finish my PhD!
  Like I said above, I have submitted and survived the viva, but there are still corrections to be made.  I will be finishing the WHOLE shebang in 2020, and I can't wait!
• Begin to create more video content!
  I love creating short videos, and I have shared a few across the years over on Instagram, but I am intending to publish even more in the coming year.  I'm also hoping to start uploading to YouTube -- I have a channel (so do feel free to follow in anticipation of content!), but I have not yet produced any material for The ecoLogical on the platform.  What sort of videos would you be most interested to watch?
• Get married!
  Yep, that's right, July 2020 will see me become a Mrs. -- woah!
• Continue to transition to a plant based diet...
  Last year one of my intentions was to make more of an effort to choose vegan options, and I can happily say that has been a massive success.  I am not vegan (which is a post for another time as it's a complex decision for me), but I do opt for vegan friendly products and I choose plant based foods as often as I can.  I have switched to vegan butter, have chosen plant milks for years now, and don't eat meat, but there is still room to improve and grow in 2020.
• Continue to make conscious purchasing choices!
  In 2018 I had us switch over to soap nuts for laundry, got my partner to love shampoo and shaving bars, made an effort to stop buying any beauty products that came in plastic bottles, bought a GuppyBag, started making multiple shopping trips to find plastic free versions of as many groceries as possible, and continued to use my reusable coffee cup, water bottle, and tote bags.  In 2019 I kept up with all of these swaps, plus transitioned to a bamboo toothbrush and plastic free toothpaste/mouthwash, started to opt for refills at the grocery store far more often, and have only bought clothing when needed (and then it was from ethical and sustainable sources like Po-Zu).
• Forge further positive bonds with bloggers, brands, and you lovelies!
  It would be so great to have further guest posts and collaborations (like the one I did with the wonderful Inner Senses ambassadors or the fab roundup of plastic free summer essentials created by the brilliant Emma of BeautyFolio) and I can't wait to see what 2020 brings in terms of partnerships with brands.  I am so thankful for those who have trusted in me to give honest and thoughtful feedback on their products over the last year, and I look forward to creating even more thorough reviews!  Any brands in particular you would love to see next year??
• Maintain balance...
  There is a fine line between creating new blog content and being a responsible buyer.  As a blogger there is such a drive to always be writing about the latest releases and just reviewing as much as possible in general.  But as someone trying to lead a more ethical life, it can be tricky finding that balance between remaining relevant and not being wasteful.  I'll be pausing my purchases whenever I find myself with too many products to work through.  This was an intention for 2019, and I will continue it throughout the new year!

And those are my main intentions for 2020!  I'm sure more will be added on, and some may even develop as the year progresses, but as of right now this is what I am aiming to accomplish and work on.

As for what is in store for The ecoLogical in the New Year, I can promise you there won't be too many huge changes because I think everything is running really smoothly and that all you eco-beauties are enjoying my content overall.  If you have any suggestions though, or are super keen for a particular guide or review, do let me know --  I'm always up for feedback!

In the meantime, keep an eye out next week for the start of my top picks of 2019 series!  I will be rounding up the best of the best from the last year, so you can have an easy guide that lists every high performing product I tested!

Also hoping you beauties had an incredible holiday and wishing you the best start to the New Year.  I cannot wait to spend another topsy turvy time with you in 2020 -- sending you all positivity and love! xx